Ronald Lorne Tipton faces charges including aggravated battery on a law-enforcement officer, aggravated fleeing, organized retail theft, dealing in stolen property, drug offenses and driving under the influence, according to the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office information reported by Action News Jax. Investigators say the alleged thefts involved more than $20,000 in merchandise. They also reported finding suspected methamphetamine inside the U-Haul involved in the case.
What investigators say happened
The sheriff’s office linked Tipton to three alleged thefts at the Target on State Road 200 in Yulee. Those incidents, on Aug. 18, Aug. 26 and Sept. 12, accounted for more than $4,600 in losses, according to CBS12. Investigators allege that LEGO sets were taken in shopping carts and moved out through emergency exits to vehicles.
The investigation led to an incident at the Walmart on State Road 200, where authorities say 12 LEGO sets were taken. After Walmart’s asset-protection employees confronted Tipton, he allegedly left the store and drove away in a U-Haul. A detective tried to stop the vehicle, and investigators say Tipton struck the detective’s left arm with the truck’s door. Deputies and Fernandina Beach police pursued the U-Haul until a Nassau County deputy stopped it by pinning it against a tree in a CVS parking lot, Action News Jax reported.
Other arrests and investigation
Jessica Underwood was also arrested on unrelated drug charges, according to the same Action News Jax report. Sheriff’s investigators say evidence from the Walmart case helped connect Tipton to additional organized retail thefts in Northeast Florida, raising the estimated value of the allegedly stolen merchandise above $20,000. The allegations have not been adjudicated in court.
